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Hey there! First off, HUGE congrats on hitting your goal weight, that's absolutely amazing! Your story really resonates with me. The whole hysterectomy throwing everything off track is so real, hormones really are no joke. I'm so glad you found the right combo with getting sleeved + Zepbound. Are you doing anything specific now to manage your constipation, or did it resolve on its own? And also did your doctor have thoughts on why Ozempic didn't work for you initially, but Zepbound did? Maybe dosing, timing, or formulation differences?

That's really interesting! I hadn't heard that specific podcast yet, but I've been following some of the emerging research on GLP-1s beyond just diabetes and weight loss. The potential psychiatric and neurological applications are fascinating. I remember seeing some early studies suggesting GLP-1 receptors in the brain might play a role in mood regulation and addiction pathways, so it makes sense they're finding benefits for depression and substance use disorders. Do you know if Dr. Weiner mentioned which specific studies he was referencing? I am going to check out that podcast, thanks for sharing!

I would say it took me 26 months to get to a weight where I was happy. A lot more than others did but I had my issues. My size and age made me very disabled, exercising was a no-no. I got here though. I am living my best life.

As you probably know, PCOS can affect metabolism. This means you may be getting a double whammy from PCOS and your height that really pushes your metabolic rate down. As I mentioned earlier, without having an expensive metabolic test done, we can't know for sure how many calories per day you burn on average. If I had to guess, I think it could be as low as about 1000 to 1200 calories per day for your Basal Metabolic Rate. This is basically the amount your body burns just keeping you alive. If we add in a bit more to account for the fact we all burn some additional calories (even if we're mostly sedentary), then that could put you around 1300 to 1500 calories per day. If you're eating ~1000 calories a day, that means at best, you'd lose about 1 pound a week, but it could easily be closer to 1 pound every 12 days or so. If you do the math (I did ), then this would put you losing right about 2.5 pounds per month or 10 pounds in 4 months, which is right where you're at. Now for the record, I didn't factor in anything for the fact that as a DS patient, you are actually also benefiting from reduced absorption. These are all made up numbers anyway, so don't get too caught up in the hard numbers here. Remember: Even if you think you're super accurate in logging food, variation in caloric content from one piece of food to the next means your calorie counts may or may not be that accurate. Don't trust manufacturer calorie counts as accurate either. They can be as much as 10% or more off. We don't actually know how many calories you burn in a day on average. My guesses are just that, guesses. Bottom line, you've got a few things working against you here, but as long as you continue to follow your surgeon's plans, there's no reason you can't lose the excess weight. It's just going to take you longer than most people. I know that sucks, but it is what it is. Knowledge is power, so hopefully you'll come away from this with a little more knowledge. That should give you a little more power over your unique situation. All the best.

Hi Lisa, I’m so sorry you’re struggling. You are not alone and there is always hope! I agree with @SpartanMaker above. I am post menopausal and that peri-menopausal and immediate post time is so tricky. There may be some other reasons for continuing weight gain and stagnant loss. As a sped teacher, I always look at crossing out medical issues first. So thyroid, PCOS, fibroids, and endometriosis should probably all be ruled out. I too am a sooth with food comforter. I had therapy that was very specific to me, related to eating disorders. My counselor helped me with body dysmorphia,and feeling good about making positive choices. For me, I had to stop tracking. I pretty much stick to keto with some veggies. I reached out to TOPS and OA for advice and most people there kind of came to the same conclusions. Many women found they needed to keep taking Metformin to help with genuine continued hunger. They were peri menopausal and we wondered if their doc didn’t snip as much stomach off as the ones from my clinic. (We compared notes.) In the end, we were all fighting for our health and there was no shame. Asking for help is the best sign that things will turn around for you too! I found an affordable therapist in psychologytoday.com It sounds like insurance might cover yours through your clinic. I had to pay out of pocket but it was well worth it.

I opted for surgery over the meds for a number of reasons including insurance coverage, med interactions and life long use of the GLP-1 meds. I did manage to lose quite a bit on my own when I woke up to the trash I was eating. A very simple tool helped me here. A phone app. It doesn't matter what you use (there are many to choose from) but actually logging everything you eat and drink even over just a week can be very eye opening. Read label too. Portions in restaurants are WAY too big. When I started keeping track and cutting back to actually serving sizes instead of overeating it helped a lot. If you start with that it will give you an opportunity to continue with researching the weight loss drugs while being aware of what you are actually eating. It is a pain to weigh and measure portions, but it makes a HUGE difference. Best of luck with your health journey!

Welcome! For me personally, body image and self-esteem issues are potentially two different things? I'm obviously not a therapist so take this with a grain of salt, but while they may be related, it seems to me that they may also not be related at all? I know a lot of us have struggled with the body image issue, me included. I think for me that's mostly just because I was so big for so long and I have not yet gotten to the place where being small is "normal" for me yet. i still will grab clothes out of my closet and think "No way I can fit in that", yet I do. I also will look at my stomach and think I don't look that different, but I went from a 44 in waist to about a 30-32 in waist, so obviously I am objectively a lot smaller. I would not, however say that I have self-esteem issues, at least I don't think so! Am I sometimes overly hard on my bodily appearance, sure. As an example, you'll never catch me going without a shirt, even though as a guy I "could" do so. I'm older, have a lot of scars from various surgeries, and still have a fair amount of loose skin that is unlikely to go away. Ain't nobody want to see that! I'm also honestly too cheap to spend the money on plastic surgery. Anyway, I just wanted to share my perspective. I suspect even if your body was perfect (and no one has a perfect body), you might still have self-esteem issues due to your past life experiences? I mention all this because I do have to wonder if you're not thinking "if only I got to a normal weight, I'd feel better about myself", but in my experience, that never works. If you are not currently seeing a therapist, it might be a great time to start?

Sorry, one more point I should have made above: I'm not a fan of calorie counting for the very reason you're struggling. You seem to be stating: "I'm only eating 700 calories a day, why am I not losing?" As I mentioned, we all are horrible at knowing how many calories we're really consuming. The issue is actually even bigger than that. Remember, you have to eat less than you burn to lose weight. Since you most likely are overestimating your intake (we all do it), that's an obvious issue. The EVEN BIGGER ISSUE is that you only have one side of the equation. You have a rough idea of intake (even if you measure poorly), but actually have no idea whatsoever know how many calories you really burn per day. There is no reliable way to measure that unless you have a rather expensive metabolic test done. Sure, there are online calculators, but these are only good at determining rough amounts and they can be off by hundreds of calories per day. I won't lie. As a person of small stature, you have it a lot harder than most because the margins for error will be smaller. What I mean is that we know you personally need fewer calories per day just based on your height. Beyond that, it also means the number of calories you have to "play with" are also a lot less than a taller person would have. Let's look at a couple of examples to illustrate this point: Person A needs 2500 calories to maintain their current weight. This means they can cut their calories down to 1000 and all other things being equal, they can in theory lose ~3 pounds of fat a week. Person B only needs 1200 calories to maintain their current weight. They obviously don't have the "room" to cut by 1500 calories a day, and even 1000 is unrealistic, so they'd have to reduce by 500 at most, taking them to around 700 calories a day. This person will only lose about a pound of fat a week, even though they are eating less calories per week than person A. It seems unfair, but it is what it is. Person B is going to have a harder time being compliant with dieting (since they have to eat so little food), and is also going to lose a lot slower. Guess which one you are?

So sorry that you're struggling. Weight loss is both the simplest thing in the world, and also incredibly complicated. The good news is there is absolutely hope for you! Thinking through what you've posted. I think I want to break things apart a bit so we can address a few different things: Let's start with being an emotional eater. My personal belief is that EVERYONE that is (or at one point was), obese has an eating disorder, or at the very least suffers from disordered eating. You simply don't get that big without having an unhealthy relationship with food. I'm really glad that you are working to get help in this area. We have a saying here on this board that you should take to heart: Bariatric Surgery doesn't fix your brain. Success or failure long term is most often about addressing these mental, not physical issues. The surgery is a tool that can help you, but surgery alone won't make you lose weight. My point here is YOU ARE NOT ALONE. A lot of the folks here have the same problem regarding turning to food for emotional support. You can get control of this, but it does take time and help. Failure to lose weight. We all lose at different rates, so it's hard to judge whether or not how much you've lost is problematic. First, can you clarify some things? Your sidebar shows you having lost 128 pounds, but your post suggests it's a lot less than that? Also, your post says it's been 6 months since your surgery, but unless I'm misunderstanding something, it's only been 4 months? Even if it's only 4 months instead of 6, having lost 9 pounds would still be on the low side, but I think you need to also keep in mind that you are on the low end of the height scale. That absolutely does matter when it comes to weight loss. Smaller bodies need fewer calories per day. That's just a basic fact. I think it's important for you to understand that you can't break the laws of physics. if you eat fewer calories per day than you burn, you'll lose weight. Eat the same amount as you burn and you'll stay at the same weight. Eat more than you burn and you'll gain. I know that seems obvious, but people often look for reasons other than this as to why they might not be losing as expected. They'll say things like "my metabolism is messed up" as if that means they're allowed to break this basic rule. Perhaps their metabolism is messed up, but there's no rule that says you should be able to eat, say 1300 calories a day and still lose. Your metabolism is your metabolism and while there are ways to ramp it up, you don't get to break the laws of basic physics. Calorie counting. You mention eating 700 calories a day, but then mention snacking on top of that? Did I understand that correctly? Here's the thing. Everyone is TERRIBLE at calorie counting and if you're not counting the snacks, you're estimates of how much you're consuming will be even worse. Even if you're counting the snacks in the 700 calories, the likelihood that you're actually eating only 700 calories a day is really small. Studies have shown again and again that people drastically underestimate how much they are eating per day, even if they try to accurately weigh and measure everything. Part of it's just user error, but part of it is that the actual calorie counts of food are not nearly as simple to measure as we think they are. One final thing to keep in mind. Our bodies are made up of lots of "stuff", and this "stuff" is all part of what you weigh day-to-day. Fluctuations in how hydrated you are, your muscle mass and even stool weight can mask fat loss, so don't get too caught up in what the scale says. Simply put, the scale is NOT your friend. Let me give you an example of just how much the scale can lie: I'm a runner and if I run in hot weather, it's not that unusual for me to lose 6 to 10 pounds in the space of a couple of hours. Does that mean I lost 10 pounds of fat? Of course not. It means I lost a bunch of water due to sweat. Using a scale as the sole means you use to judge your success would be a bit like trying to use a hammer as the only tool you use to build a house. a hammer's great for some things, but there are also times when it's not.

Hello AngieNM, That is a body image issue that sometimes will rear its ugly head. We all here can tell you that we experience it. Just the other day my husband asked to see my hand. I didn't know why but he looked and said "wow, you are losing weight". I didn't believe him so I got on the scale, which I try to avoid, and sure enough, I had lost weight, lots of weight and I looked into the mirror and saw the same large body, just flabbier. I'm a member now of BariNation, which you can be too. They have Licensed Social workers, Registered dieticians, physicians and registered dieticians all that are bariatric specialists and they hold groups where you can learn, get therapy, ask questions, and a whole host of other things. Instead of waiting for a response like in this forum, you get instant gratification from having a community of people like yourself, and friends that are long lasting can be made easily. Remember that your goal was not just a weight loss surgery but a metabolic surgery that will bring you to a state of wellness. As you lose weight, you will have body image issues, and because you see yourself as the large you and do not see any differences this is because you have no real record unless you took pictures of yourself and still do to help you with your differences that you can see. It takes time, but it is worth it in the end if you can work through your feelings in groups or with private therapy about the criticism from your family that is a life long battle. All of us were criticized, mocked, teased and otherwise shamed about how we carried our weight never realizing what it was doing to us on the inside emotionally and psychologically. Join me in BariNation, get some group therapy, at least try it for a month and see how you like it. It is really worth the 40 bucks a month, just a little over a dollar a day for all kinds of therapy and peer support to help you. I wish you the very best!!

This is my first post here. I am Lisa. I am 42. I am six months post surgery (Duodenal Switch) and I have some questions. Did anyone just NOT lose the weight afterwards? I had to do a diet three months prior to surgery and I lost about twenty pounds doing that. However since surgery in February, I have only lost 9.2 pounds. Yes, you read that right. I am so frustrated. Even in the first two weeks post surgery where I religiously followed my liquid diet, I GAINED weight. From what my doctor told me, most people lose during that period. I have tried to follow my plan of 700 calories and no snacking since then but I haven't done the greatest at it. The PA and I have discovered I may have a eating disorder. I eat when I am not hungry. Sometimes when I feel full (never to the point of getting sick). I am an emotional eater. I eat my feelings so they are sending me to a therapist to try to help with that. I know most people would say "well that is why you aren't losing" but the thing is, MOST DAYS I follow my plan pretty well and I am still not losing. Especially not like I want to. I had hopes of losing big numbers and being way closer to my goal by now. Can someone please tell me there is still hope for me? Is there someone who has been there and went on to have a success story?

I've finished my Pre-Operative Program at Bariatric and General Surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. I'd previously felt unsure about the program but it's turn out to be a very good experience. Now, I'm in the window where they will request prior authorization and then at some point I'll get a surgery date and be off. For me due to scheduling the gap is going to be about 3 months. Since I have the time I'm interested in learning what could be beneficial for me to consider in this waiting period. I will continue to lose weight with the goal of losing 8 lbs a month. I will continuing exercising, and seeing my dietician. I've eve reached out to setup sessions with a bariatric therapist. I've purchased six months of chewable multi-vitamins and calcium, an assortment of protein shake flavors. But I know there's more needed so please lay your wisdom on me.

But that's kinda my point. We used to think that extra muscle mass burned a lot more calories per day than it actually does. Keep in mind too that fat is not completely metabolically inert. So on average, one pound of fat burns about two calories per day just existing, whereas one pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest. You're just not going to lose much weight from resistance training alone. Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Sculpting beautiful bodies happens in the gym.

the reasoning behind the advocacy of muscle building is that just the fact of having muscle mass allows you to burn calories by just EXISTING. meaning: someone with 85% muscle mass will burn way more calories just BREATHING ON THE COUCH vs. someone who has only 50% muscle mass. the flip side of this is that someone with higher muscle mass tends to be "hungrier" than someone who does not (and im talking REAL hunger, not head hunger), so it takes a bit more effort to not pork out. in the end, as always, it all boils down to how far and how hard you are willing to go. further, some may have to work even harder than others just to overcome genetics and medical issues they are saddled with. in short: cardio burns more calories IN THE MOMENT; but weight lifting/muscle building is more LONG TERM. both are hard and require consistent effort. choose your hard. good luck! ❤️

Nothing wrong with trying GLP-1s to see how they work for you. Cost can be an issue for a lot of folks, but as long as you have the means, then I'd definitely say give them a try. A few things to keep in mind: Some people don't respond to GLP-1 meds at all, or may respond to one and not others. If you find out that the first one you try isn't working, be ready to try a different one. Some people find that they quickly gain weight after stopping GLP-1s, which brings me to my next point:. Keep in mind that these meds can be life-changing, but they are also just tools (much like weight loss surgery). The real goal has to be retraining your body and mind how to eat better. The meds alone won't do that, so unless you're willing to dedicate yourself to learning how to eat better and move more, you may end up right back where you started or worse. In the end, these are not magic. They can reduce the "food noise", but they won't suddenly make you want to eat a salad instead of pizza. If eating better and feeling better is your real the goal, these alone won't do much.

I forgot to mention that I went for my vitamin b12 injection today. I have a new GP since I changed to new practice and she said she was going to refer me to an "exercise specialist" which I have never heard of in my life so I will see what she has to say. She may be able to suggest more classes for me to do as well. Unrelated note, a good GP is a thing to be treasured. She was proud of my weight loss progress and she has had WLS too. Went form 140kg to 58kg (she's 5 foot) She suggested if anyone tells me again that weight loss surgery is cheating, I should sit on them to keep them quiet until I'm too thin for that and then just slap them.

My doctor said weight training will help me lose me more weight long term than cardio and I'm hoping to get rid of the arm flab and I've been told weights or at least muscle training will help. I've tried crossfit and that's not really my thing either. Weight lifting has always been a painful and miserable experience for me. Reminds me too much of the gym classes in school that I always hated. I'm really too lazy for weight training and real fitness, but If my gp says I have to do it, then I need to find a way to do it. She recommended resistance bands, but I won't ever be in the mindset where I'm at home going "maybe i should get the resistance bands out". I need to change my mindset, but if changing a mindset was easy, I wouldn't need half my stomach yeeted out to lose weight. I've been thinking about pilates and I've been told that it's nothing compared to weight lifting and I guess that is true in some aspects, but again, better than doing nothing, and using my own body weight is a good workout. I would be interested in trying it anyway.

In the summer, I'm a huge fan of "bowls" for lunch/dinner. Take a base of your choice like rice, brown rice, farro, quinoa, etc, add whatever veggies you like and then your protein of choice. If desired, you can also add some sort of sauce/dressing. The nice thing is you can easily meal-prep these and even vary the ingredients slightly in every single bowl just by having a few different base/veggie/protein choices available. It's also easy to adjust them to your tastes, as well as change the proportions to fit your macros. Also, for the most part you don't even need to heat these up. I eat them cold (or more often at room temp), all the time. I'm also a big fan of soup (yes even in summer), because it helps me rehydrate (due to the salt and fluid), as well as get some food in me after my workouts. I totally realize that for many people, the thought of something warm post workout seems odd, but it works for me. As to the amount of protein you're eating, I think that's okay (and not likely dangerous), but honestly is a bit higher than you actually need. I know in some gym circles, they push as much as 4 grams per kg of body weight, but there's not a lot of evidence that even strength athletes need more than about 1.6 to 2 grams per kg. Keep in mind that your body can't store excess protein, thus what it doesn't use for muscle repair just goes to waste or gets stored as fat if you're eating in a surplus. Another consideration as @WendyJane mentions is that your ability to metabolize protein is limited. While I think the rate at which it can be metabolized is actually variable and likely somewhat dependent on overall bodyweight (some studies suggest it's around 0.3 to 0.4 g/kg/bw), the net effect is that it may actually be a lot less than 50 grams for most people. For this reason, it would be ideal to actually plan on eating about five meals a day, rather than the traditional three. Further, keep in mind that the ability to metabolize protein IS NOT the same as the rate at which your body can induce muscle protein synthesis (i.e. use protein to repair repair your muscles). That rate may be as low at just a few grams per hour! That said, there's not a lot of evidence that high amounts of protein hurt the kidneys in healthy people. Yes, certainly if you have kidney disease, you should follow your doctor’s advice and limit your protein intake. For everyone else, the danger is pretty limited (or even nonexistent). I would say that if your higher protein intake is coming exclusively, or almost exclusively from meat (especially red meat), this is a lot more likely to potentially cause renal problems. Now keep in mind that when we look at whether or not a high protein diet can cause kidney issues, scientists always look at EXCESS protein. In other words, it's not the total protein intake that matters. It's the amount in excess of your needs. As someone involved in strength training, you do need additional protein to repair your muscles. As I pointed out, your actual needs may be less than you think. Like a lot of things, it's best to not assume that more is always better. Obviously some protein is essential, additional amounts can be beneficial for some people, but there are potential downsides to eating more than you actually need. Certainly your call, but you might try dropping that down to ~125 to 140 grams. This will open up some options to get some additional veggies or whole grains in you that will help with athletic performance, while still supporting your goals regarding body recomposition. FYI, my statements about protein needs for athletes is based on the latest Nutrition and Athletic Performance position statement from the American College of Sports Medicine. Sorry for yet another long post. I geek out on this stuff and just wanted to share.

Last year, I got diagnosed with sleep apnea, and was made to start using a CPAP machine to sleep, I really disliked using it and I ever got used to it, and because of that, I made the decision to do the weight loss surgery My surgery team said I should make short term goals to keep myself motivated on my new journey Right off the bat, my only goal was to get rid of the CPAP machine, nothing else mattered, but after a few follow up appointments, I managed to really think of what I wanted to have After some thought, my goal list grew: 1. Give up my CPAP machine 2. Buy and wear a bathrobe from Macy's 3. Hit 200lb minimum I'm happy to report that today, my 1st goal has been met, my sleep apnea is under control and when sleeping my oxygen levels don't go below 92, my doctor said that if I wanted to, I can stop sleeping with it, and I happily left it behind with him 1st goal down, 2 more to achieve, I can't wait!

Lemme see here....what order to roll with....I'll start with the No-Can-Do List. Gonna sound cornball...but then again....cornball is my wheelhouse, lol. Okay...here is the Top 5 that come to mind over my morning coffee: skydiving. hell to the NO. Added to that anything that involves heights. It wouldn't be cool for them to see me pass out from terror......although I did have a great conversation with a gal yesterday afternoon who has professional live saving medical skillz. So....she could probably take me to death's door....and bring me back. But no planes, roller coasters, wall climbing or the like. Wind tunnel is about the best I can consider.... Years ago she took me out for margaritas...took my arse out. We found solace as two souls in marriages that were struggling, no sharks. I grew up near the coast...snorkeling and scuba diving frequently.... continued it through college. At some point in my mid-20's I began to have sinus troubles equalizing the pressure when diving...made for painful surface intervals between dives. My Uncle had been through the same a few years prior. He tried surgical remedy....but it didn't help. My late wife, her brother, his wife and some other friends all took their diving certification stuff....and then for various reasons,...each of them dropped out of the class. I'd resigned myself to give the sinus surgery a chance....surgeon was also a diver and he felt like success was most probable. During my years diving I've been close....crazy close....to sharks a plenty. It was all good as I was most often near rocks, reefs, shipwreck structure, etc. Cover was close, if needed. The exposure and sketchy periods were when getting to the bottom & when resurfacing....there I sometimes felt like bait on a hook. Since then I have had some close calls when I was simply swimming on a beach day.....going for a swim to cool off from the sun. One time I had my early teenage son with us....We saw a sand bar a couple hundred yards off shore.,...there were surfers out there. He was deadset on making it out there. I finally caved in and told him we could go but he had to listen to me...currents and such. He agreed and out we went....all was well until it wasn't. I found out the scary way that baitfish were schooling in spots between the sand bar and the shallows. We were swimming amidst the schooling baitfish....joining them on the freakin menu. I saw one, two then three sets of dorsal fins surface in between waves. Then one came too close....got my son's attention and lied to him....told him to get in close with me and we were headed back to shore because I was cramping. He was pissed, but he did what he was told and then gave me a dose of ribbing later on...."Dad you wanna hand me a drink.....oh no...don't do it....you'll cramp up", "Dad....you want me to take the cooler back to the car....don't want you cramping up", etc. My favorite kind of vacation is to sandy places. Don't want to become baitfish again, though....ever. Never thought it would be an issue until recent weeks. Met a gal who is a diver....kept my shark aversions quiet, lol No yoga....period. Could be the greatest thing ever.....but I'm sidestepping. Same could be said of other types of group excursive. I'm a no-class sorta dude. Not going to line up and get into some torture. I prefer to do my torture in solo....lick my wounds and gain the benefits results. I have to protect my shout out knees and right shoulder and keep pre-habbing them until I can get schedules aligned to have joint replacements done. My geriatric-bariatric sorta gym stuff would likely have younger womenz laughing their butts off. So yeah....the gym is where I need to go it alone....for now, at least. Nothing illegal...or at least keep it mostly legal. I'm not robbing banks...but if she asked really nicely and had a killer smile....I may be her getaway driver and lookout. Snakes are off limits. So if they are into snakes as pets.....it is gonna take a HEAP of Dr. Phil-esqe counseling to make that something I can ease up on. My time in the woods has me averse to snakes. The part of Georgia where I live has many varieties of rattlesnakes, copperheads, moccasins, etc, etc. I've had some sketchy moments with 'em all and I went to guns every time. Probably wouldn't go over well with a date who had pet snakes. ......................................... Note that karaoke is now off the list. I'm averse to it. Averse as all hell......but developments yesterday have me sliding that one off my radar. I met someone who sings. I mean, sings at a high level, in formal events, etc. When the subject came up in conversation I was coy....thinking, "here we go with the freakin karaoke silliness"....but I kept my mouth zipped as she was discussing things she enjoyed....music...making music via singing wasn't a hobby....but a passion. My coy arse ...when asked about likes...simply said something cornball regarding singing. "Well...it is highly ironic that we have met...you being a singer, and all." Winked and nodded...knowingly (even though I no nothingsss...strong is my ignorance). She bit and wanted to know more. I deflected and said something about having a small bit of singing experience.....at a professional level....but didn't want to bore her with details....wanted to find out more about her. So it went for a few minutes until she went back to my singing and pressed the matter. "Well, young lady....here is the cosmic irony on this matter....you are clearly impassioned & talented with your voice.....so very odd that we would meet.....you see...you are now looking at the WORST singer on the face of the Earth.....or at least in this county.....I suck.....I've even been paid to NOT sing....had dollar bills tossed at me to put the mic down.....so there it is....I am in awe of your courage to stand up and rock your voice......I am in awe and I'm hardcore untrainable in that area". She laughed and took it all in stride. "So what can you be trained to do....." Mr Cornball here replied with something dumb like, "For starters, I am housebroken...errr mostly housebroken. I can bark...or not bark...roll over, shake and play dead, fetch....you know, stuff like that". She laughed again...but not laughing in the way of "somebody come save me from this nerd....somebody, anybody". Humored laughing....dare I hope, acceptance laughter....is that even a thing ? When I say we laughed....I mean throughout the afternoon and eventing we laughed. Either this gal is challenged or she was actually amused at my dipshyt self. I was intrigued of everything she volunteered about her life, likes, loves, views. @GreenTealael had recently stated major bigtime advice that was THE SURE 'NUFF TRUTH. it pertained to core values being integral to compatibility. Not realizing it was occurring, this lady and I spent hours yesterday covering so much ground that it was unreal. By dawns light this morning I am still shaking my head in amazement. Without me realizing it had occurred....we'd checked off a pile core belief simpaticoisms....yep that is now a word. Simpatico-isms. I was open and honest and simply went with it. Each topic was a new discovery of our views and feels about stuff. Been down this road a good bit lately....and there were always stumbling issues or categories where divergent views may be a red flag. I'm not talking about politics or stuff like that. I couldn't give a rip about that. I appreciate different viewpoints. I mean the bigger issues... Here are some of the hurdles or outright roadblocks that I've had recently in this bachelor living...and this is with even short term fun: No married women. As tempting as a couple have made it...No-Can-Do. I am NOT about to go there. DO NO HARM is the hill I will die on....regardless of the temptation. No coworkers...or at least within my work "zone". There is an engineer and another administrator in another "zone" where some interesting recent conversations have occurred. Even then, I waded much more cautiously than other situations. My sobriety will not be compromised. Long story...shortened version: haven't had a drop since February 2019. Quit for practical reasons to be a responsible caregiver 24/7. Considered myself a casual drinker...social drinker.....but in the years since I saw where I'd used alcohol as a crutch...a tool...a mechanism to distance myself from work stress....or marital stress... I later acknowledged it was a simply delaying those stress & ultimately combining them. So, after my wife passed in 2021...I maintained the sobriety...realizing it was in my best interest. Since then I have benefited hugely from it. I can go out with a girl and am A-Okay with her having a drink or three....I'll have my coffee, water and am just fine. I won't open a bottle or pop a top again, though. Matters of the soul. Didn't seem like this would be an issue for initial attraction and such. But I found that even in casual contact it can and does surface and diametrically opposing views are a non-starter....even if physical attraction is main the component the main draw. Back to yesterday's first meet with lil' Miss Singer....it--was--wonderful. Wunnerfull....I didn't want to be pushy,....or forward....but....wow. So refreshing, I was thirsty for more....and it was shared, clearly. She even stated such....boldly. Stepped up and put it out there....interest demonstrated. She made the first commit. I had been keeping my desires reserved...she was... different. I was having different feels and did not want to rush into anything. This was someone that, yes, major physical attraction is there...but all my no-can-do stuff were non-issues...taken in stride....acceptance. She probably has guys hitting on her all the time and I didn't want to be another schuck trying to come on to her. I mean...I DID want to...but there seemed to be "more than that" taking shape. Everything was.....different. Yeah, I know I said that already...having difficulty finding correct verbiage to accurately describe. Your ever had the thought that you'd love to go back in time and slap the cowboy shyt outa your past self..and do so at a most specific moment and change the outcome and improve the trajectory of past self ???? Yesterday at some point after an hour or so...it was almost as if I felt a hand on my shoulder....a warning hand...it was telling me to slow the roll...be real....look at the bigger picture....and boy howdy, there is a strong hint there is possibly healthy structure for a bigger picture. The hand on the shoulder clenched down more than once....the physical desires needed to be reminded of the cosmic slap that was needed. Dumb as it may sound.....and for whatever reason I can be grateful for....I was calm and didn't blow it....wasn't "that dude". It was rewarded with hours more talking, laughing, disclosing, supporting, etc, etc. --------------------------- So.... we have an actual, real deal, no kiddin' super official date next week...Wednesday. We had to plot through our work schedules to figure it out...but it is set. A date. Not a hook up.

You're actually not doing bad at all. You're averaging 11 pounds lost per month. That's above average. Typical weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week (4-8 pounds per month). So don't worry about the number on the scale. You're actually doing quite well.

Hello SammyGold, Welcome to the Bariatric Forum. I was on a GLP-1 since 2013 without knowing it was a GLP-1, and it changed over time. I was prescribed it by my endocrinologist for my diabetes. What I did once I started on Mounjaro was to lose about 70 pounds, and changed my eating habits to protein and veggies. That's all I ate. More Veggies than protein. I have a bad hip and decided I would take the next step and get the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Bariatric Surgery. While I am only 7 weeks out since surgery, I have seen a huge difference on the scale, and in the size clothes that I can wear already. My face doesn't even look like my picture anymore. I had to lose weight and get my BMI down so I can get a new hip, and I'll be getting that in August, I have exceeded the goal, and plan to keep on going. With the GLP-1s that I was on, I never experienced nausea, but that is a huge side effect for many. It has to be the right dose for you, so look carefully at the different meds, and find out what your insurance covers before you ask for a specific medication from your provider/doctor. Insurance companies are getting ridiculous about weight loss drugs and surgery. They deny due to the cost of the medications. 6 months worth of GLP-1s can cost what it would if you had a gastric bypass surgery!! So contact your insurance company to find out what they cover for weight loss. That is my big take away!

Congratulations maintaining your weight. What is your secret to a healthier life?

Welcome to the Bariatric Group! Diabetes is a strange critter. With diabetes, you have to remember that your liver will push out glycogen and convert it to glucose overnight, that is why you have differing numbers with the same breakfast. It is also dependent on what you ate the night before. I still get strange numbers, but I'm off all of my medications and insulin for diabetes and I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery. I haven't taken any meds or insulin since the day before my surgery. The highest I have been is 137, and I don't go below 83 mg/dl. I got rid of my Dexcom 7s to a needy friend, and will be giving my syringes and unopened bottles of insulin to my endocrinologist who I see next week on Thursday. Already, it has been quite a ride. From the hormones flying about, to not having to inject insulin and reduced medications, I'm moving better, walking a lot and recently was released to go back to the gym where I swim, cycle and lift weights. I can't imagine my life any different now, best decision I've ever made. Ask me in a year how I feel. LOL

Welcome Magicman, Here is where you will get a lot of answers to your questions that you may have. Feel free to ask anything and everything. I know that knowledge is power, and you want to be powerful going into the Metabolic Surgery/Bariatric Surgery. The last time I took my insulin and meds for my diabetes was the day before my surgery. I have not been over 137 mg/dl since that time and got rid of my Dexcom 7's to a needy friend since I don't need them anymore. I see my endocrinologist next week, and I already know that my A1C is 5.1 which is a lot better than it was before. I basically don't have the A1C to be called a diabetic, but it is in remission for sure. I just need to keep on the program and not regain weight. I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery, but already I have to buy a smaller swim suit and clothes, my pants keep falling down. I'm feeling better and know I'm healthier. Welcome to the Bariatric Club, you found a good spot for support and question asking!!